Help with Alcohol Extraction on Peruvian Torch

I'm attempting my first extraction on some powdered Peruvian Torch skins I ordered online. I'm part way through the process and worried it's not going to work. Here's the process I used:

-Put a pound of powdered Peruvian Cactus in a jar
-Put isopropyl alcohol in the jar totaling about half the volume of the powder
-Shake the jar a few times a day for a few days
-Use a turkey baster to get the now colored alcohol into a pan
-Aim a fan at the pan to speed up evaporation
-Repeat by adding more alcohol until it hardly changes color (or doesn't change color)

The alcohol in the jar is still changing color. Thing is, it's not green or black like in pictures I've seen. It's more of an amber color.

Most of the alcohol has evaporated leaving very minimal product in the pan. I imagine I could fill one gel cap.

I've heard the cactus skin doesn't contain any mescaline and that the flesh just inside the skin contains the most. I assume the powder comes from both the skin and the fleshy part just beneath it. After all, why would a company just sell the skin? Plus, for whatever it's worth, I met a guy on the street that recommended I order from this sight (he gave me two sites), order powdered skins, and perform an alcohol extraction.

So can anyone help me out with this? Should I just continue, not worry about the color, and see how much product I get?

EDIT: My memory failed me. Turns out the alcohol was a lighter green when I first put it in the pan. The subsequent alcohol has been more amber color though.

 

What % alcohol? If it's regular drugstore alcohol, it may not have the ability to do what you want. Grain alcohol 100% like Everclear is commonly used.

There is also a basic of new science experiments: start with a smaller amount.

 

Oh hey there thismoment, I've seen you in other threads.

I used 99% and 70%.

I think it will work. Just taking longer than expected. Probably because I have a pound of powder.

Do you know the ratio of tar to powder you should get?

 

Ive done San Pedro acetate extractions so it may be different in some respects but I took the time to remove the dark green flesh from the skin.

Amber was the color of the extractions I pulled and that was the color shown on the tek examples I followed as well. This extraction involved pulling some other alkaloids along with the mescaline.

 

Yeah, when I received the ground up cactus it was light orange-ish and had two bits of skin that were the same color.

I'm glad to hear the alcohol was similar color for you and that it worked.

It's not evaporating fast enough so I'll probably go the stove top method.

Hiking out to a cabin on a mountain this weekend in Alaska. So excited! Three of us tripping with a trip sitter and a dog.

 

I've had the alcohol mixture in a glass pan in another pan with boiling water in it for hours now. Any suggestions on how to speed this up?! Kind of in a hurry...

 

Well that sucked . Barely felt a thing apart from my stomach letting me know there was a lot of something weird in it. I wonder where I went wrong!

 

am i wrong? i thought you needed the 99% or pure stuff, 70% or rubbing alcohol fucks it up, yes?

oh.

no further comment

 

Bummer, if it's just an individual dose I'd recommend opting to make a tea rather than attempt an extraction.

You may want to try San Pedro instead, I've heard more mixed reports with Peruvian Torch. I get the impression that the psychoactive alkaloid content is more variable with it.

 

i saw a chart on shroomery or nexus that showed the average mescaline content of sp vs pt vs peyote. cant find it tho, found this.

http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/mom/mescaline/mescaline.html

 

Here is some info on it ...

Pachanoi= San Pedro

Peruvians= Peruvian Torch

http://www.erowid.org/plants/cacti/cacti_article1.shtml

 

Yeah, if I try it again I'll go with San Pedro.

I want to make quite a few doses so some kind of extraction seems like the best way to go. Plus, I've tasted cactus juice before and want nothing of it.

 

Wait, what? From what I understand 70% is fine so long as the only other ingredient is water, as was the case with what I bought.

 

ok.
did it work out fine?

(clue:you had to heat it up to evaporate it)

actually, i was just in a state where i got some 99% Everclear, cant get that in my state. thats supposed to work real well.

 

There is another thread on this subject. A person with much experience describes the process and several posters discuss successful pulls. In all cases, pure grain alcohol (as in Everclear) is used. The alcohol turns very dark. No need to heat. It seems a little shaky to be heating alcohol. Maybe Porkstock could speak to that.

A good idea to make a smaller first attempt. Live and learn, eh.

 

Alright, I'll get some everclear and try that with 100g powder this time. Could you point me in the direction of that other thread?

 

+1 for being open minded. :sunny:
betcha it works better the next time

 

Darn, looks like 150 proof is as high as everclear goes here in Alaska.

 

diff states have diff laws about max alcohol % but 150 proof works, so i've read.
the key is, don't heat it up, patience Bud.

wax on wax off

 

~12-15 threads down this cactus page. Omacatl.